Wichita eagle., 1887-04-05

y
it pleased her to see you with your sleeves
rolled up, hard at work"
/ asked score of questions, and finally
learned that the princess lived with her
mother in quite a civilized fashion on
large estate, and that she had hundreds ct
tenants and Thousands Of broad acres. More
over, she had been educated in Lima, and
was socially the equal of any Of the white
inhabitants of the country.
As l expected, the princess rode over
nearly every day, with one or more attend
ants, and / soon became pretty well &C
uuainted with her. Our work approached
its end, and we were all in a state of
breatnlcss excitement. We were satisfied
that Pizarro had tunneled from the base of
the shaft under the hill, and, after sealing
up the entrance he had flooded the mine,
We could not draw of the water, and our
only way was to blast through the rocks to
the hidden chamber or pocket.
Our explosions day after day seemed to
have the effect Of paralyzing the baby vol
cano which lowered far above the scene Of
our operations. Finally the great day ar
rived when everything was in readiness to
uncover Pizarro's pocket. We had drilled
until we came to cavity, and into this We
ing powder. We knew that when the
lighted fuse exploded this tremendous mass
the granite hin would be torn to FRAGMENTS.
The princess stood with me behind an
enormous bowlder on the mountain side. IS
I talked with her 1 caught myself moro
than onoe wondering whether, if l married
her, it would be possible in my own country
to pass her OF as a Spaniard or Creole.
I ho1 mr. SoriH-,c i,,%op 4
not help indulging in some fanciful specula-
lions.
Our men stationed themselves in safe
places, end Conway touched or the fuss
and then ran ct his best speed to his place
Of refuge.
Never was there such an explosion. There
was a burst Of fame and thunder The
eternal granite hills trembled and tottered
The coppery sky turned black ard huge
cloud of smoke and dust swirled and drifted
in every direction. Before we could see
anything we heard the ominous pattering
of masses of roci, as they fell to the ground
after their projection into mid air.
Fully ten minutes elapsed before we sum-
moned courage to approach the shattered
hill, which rasembled the smoking crater Of
q volcano.
''Come, senor,' said the princess calmly,
call danger is over Let us see what thers
is in the pocket
Calling Conway and the men, we walked
and crawied laboriously over the debris
until we reached the brink of the yawnng
chasIu
Leaning cautiously over we peered into
the dusky depth beneath. The thick and
sulphurous smoke still curling up from the
bottom made it impossible to see much.
Rubbing our srnarting eyes we withdrew a
Short distance and waited patiently
I was talking to the princess when a tor
rible cry from Conway startled US.
Look. senorl' cried the princess ''See
to your frienir'
Conway had realed back against tree,
and with bis hands shading his eyes was
looking in the direction Of this chasn. AS /
looked the o-her Elen gave a shout of alarra
and rushed into tina woods,
Turning around, I saw she cause OF the
general excitement.
Slowly climbing up from the deep gulf
made by the explosion, gigantic figure
perched himself upon the edge. The fact
that it was evidently a man and not a mon
ster did net tend to reassi;re Us How conld
a man emerge from that place: A light
feathery smoke drifted about him like
drapery. 1t parted, and we saw that the
apparition WAS clad from head to foot in
plate armor!
l could not doubt rcy own senses, Per-
fectly motionless tho stalwart form con
fronted u. Every detail Of his ar1ncr was
perfect, the helmet with the visor down,
the cuirass, the greave, and the gaunEets
of fine chain mail
With the ground under US reel,ing with
sulphuronS steam, and with a pail OF black
smoke settling over US, this menacing figure
appeared to dominate the scene.
What IDEAS rushed through my mind can
not now be recalled. ! was oazed. My
brain whjrled, and it was with difficulty
that / could keep my feet. As for Conway,
he was worse of than I was. The poor
fellow had never seen q man in armor, not
even on tbs stage, and, if ho rus able to
form any opinion 1T al, he doubtless took
the stranger for tho evil ono himself.
Before 1 could realize it the princess Ut
tered hys:erical exclamation and rushed
forward. Conway and | both jumped to
the conclusion that in her dslirium she was
about TO plunge into the botto:nless Lit. 1t
completely savelopes. the princess and
blinded Us for a raornens When it drifsed
away Conway shouted:
''Iho princes! Where is skc,''
"Ar0 tho Inai,'' I cried out, ''both are
gone
at vas true. We stared at each other
in agoniz.-I Gi,encc,
Another Iu.h oc smoke blinded rs and
drove rs away
Had the princess thrown herself into the
abyss. or had the giant in the coat of mail
seized her and lSsped down with her in ks
al1ns?
Just thea the rumbls Of s;ib:e:ra-lean t,un-
der deafened uc The mountains svayod
and we were dashed violently to tho ground
Tli.s hill iE:o whose bowels The princess and
the horror hzd 80 Suddenly disappeared sank
swiftly out OF sight, aud In its place af-
peare,i q litfls lake whose soothing waves
emitted jets OF steam. A r,in OF red dust
began to descend, and balls OF fro ras1 along
the mountain ridges exploding liko ci.sas OF
thunder
Three days later 1 awoke to consciousness
in hospital in Lima Ny faithful In
dams, being less afraid OF earthquakes and
volcanoes than they were OF apparitious
had come TO the re.e-ie OF Conway and NY
self and carried Us Off l found nv old
com:ade also laid up for repairs, 1t was
weeks before We were able to travel, and
then Conway refused to accompany NE.
de showed q singular disincIirs.ion 10 talk
about our event:ul experience, but when hs
shook hands with me at parting BE- said:
"Wheu the. shakes are over. III get to
the bottom Of Fzarro's pocket and find
the princess OF dleln-Wai,ace p Reed in
Atlanta Constitution.
Nine. Eouhcout, CT Paris, has given a
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